acting 1 of 3

Definition of actingnext
as in interim
serving in a position for the time being will serve as acting president of the university until a permanent replacement can be found

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

acting

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noun

acting

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verb

present participle of act
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as in serving
to have a certain purpose the tail feathers of woodpeckers act as props while the birds excavate tree trunks for insects

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5
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as in mocking
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior someone who is willing to act the helpless little thing when she wants attention

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acting
Adjective
PinkPantheress has locked in her first-ever acting role in a movie. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026 Foreign aid has been a clear focus; after USAID was razed last year, Vought was made acting administrator and tasked with overseeing the closeout of the agency. — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 22 June 2026
Noun
Cruise is absolutely not at the top of the pack, as other stars who have yet to win an Oscar for their acting, like John Malkovich, Matt Damon, and Ryan Gosling, are in contending films that have broader appeal. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026 Log action because reading and acting aren’t the same permission. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
However, both of his sons make their acting debuts in the film. — Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026 Now, Deadline can reveal that another Scrubs standout, Kastl, also is expected to be back for Season 2 in his first acting gig in almost two decades. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
  • An interim commissioner will be announced at a later date, the statement noted.
    — Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Plans for interim leadership are in the works, the news release said.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Max Goldbart here taking you through a week in which one of the biggest entertainment deals of this century was waved through.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That money is split among entertainment-industry health and retirement funds, the Motion Picture & Television Fund and a National Association of Attorneys General fund.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Miami Hurricanes are back on the road and playing under the lights in a key Atlantic Coast Conference game.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And his relatives in turn gave notes to the actors playing their younger selves and were encouraged to interrogate Ba as his coming-of-age story was dramatized.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Cotton kept a separate $855,000 award by the jury to Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, who was working with Maria when the attack happened, intact.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • McGuire said the country’s murder rate is at a 126-year low and argued that falling fentanyl deaths and drug trafficking are evidence that the administration’s border and law enforcement policies are working.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Revelations about similar incidents of seeming collective action by groups of agents have appeared every week since.
    — Michael Morris, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The wait for season three will almost certainly be a bit shorter, with a return next fall seeming very plausible given the second season had an eight-month turnaround after filming wrapped.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But a 2012 Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) action barred the platform from serving US customers—its most important user base—and Intrade shuttered soon thereafter.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Riverside restaurant is by day a poolside grill serving sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, and for dinner offers a Bistronomy menu of upscale international dishes.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Brown's fourth-quarter touchdown celebration included putting his hand to his crotch and then to his face before pretending to pass out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • If Gayle Newland had been a cis man who had seduced Miss X by pretending to be Kye Fortune, the case would have fallen outside the McNally principle, and Miss X would have had very little chance of having her complaint heard.
    — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Five times in the last two months, the president has sneered at and insulted female reporters, mocking their appearance or dismissing their credentials.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In 2020, then-ESPN commentator Mark Jones shared posts mocking 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa after Bosa suffered a serious knee injury.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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